by Adam Resnick  , Alicia Bergman  , Rebecca Oberman  , Stephanie L. Taylor  , Emmeline Chuang  , Kelsey Cummings  and Evelyn T. Chang

Received: 20 December 2023;  Published: 31 January 2024;  doi: 10.21926/obm.icm.2401012

The Veterans Health Administration (VA) offers complementary and integrative health (CIH) therapies to Veterans with chronic pain and opioid use disorder (OUD). While CIH therapies have known benefits for chronic pain, less research exists on its use for patients with OUD. In this qualitative study, we aimed to assess provider and patient perceptions of CIH therapies for Veterans with OUD. We interviewed 45 providers involved in OUD care and 17 Veterans with OUD from five VA medical centers as part of a larger mixe [...]

by Waqar Husain  , Farrukh Ijaz  , Muhammad Ahmad Husain  , Marwa Zulfiqar  and Javeria Khalique

Received: 20 December 2023;  Published: 23 January 2024;  doi: 10.21926/obm.icm.2401011

The assessment of mental health and mental disorders has undergone extensive exploration within the field of psychology, resulting in various models and approaches. In addition to traditional ways like the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, psychologists have proposed alternative perspectives for evaluating mental health. One such innovative approach is the psychosocial health model, which defines mental well-being as sexual, emotional, social, environmental, cognitive, religious, moral, and spi [...]

by Naylya Djumaeva  , Gulnara Akhundjanova  , Leyla Djumaeva  and Dilbar Urunova

Received: 08 October 2023;  Published: 16 January 2024;  doi: 10.21926/obm.icm.2401010

Long COVID syndrome resulting from SARS-CoV-2 infection has a prevalence of 10%-35% in the population. Numerous studies of the disease are currently being conducted concerning the manifestations of long COVID syndrome; however, there are no data on the use of electroacupuncture diagnosis (EAV) and medicament testing (MT) in assessing this condition. The purpose of the study was to study the possibilities of diagnosing EAV to determine changes in the electrodermal activity of acupuncture points of the meridian test [...]

by James David Adams

Received: 22 August 2023;  Published: 11 January 2024;  doi: 10.21926/obm.icm.2401009

Many websites are dedicated to educating the public about chronic pain and its management. The majority of these websites say there is no cure for chronic pain, but encourage patients to try exercise, diet, stress reduction and other techniques to decrease the severity of chronic pain. Patients are also taught to use oral or injected drugs to treat their chronic pain. This can be dangerous and leads to adverse events and death in some patients. The majority of these websites teach patients that chronic pain comes f [...]

by Stephanie Bryan  and Maryellen Hamilton

Received: 20 October 2023;  Published: 10 January 2024;  doi: 10.21926/obm.icm.2401008

This paper provides an overview of gratitude as a concept and as a mind-body-spirit practice, impacting health and human functioning throughout the lifespan, that can be integrated into daily life to great benefit at no cost. Current society is rife with increases in stress, anxiety, depression, lifestyle-related diseases, and social isolation. The practice of gratitude and its interrelated pro-social, health-enhancing, resilience-building effects suggest that promoting gratitude from childhood through adulthood ma [...]

by Charlotte Grégoire  , Alexandra Paye  and Audrey Vanhaudenhuyse

Received: 16 October 2023;  Published: 09 January 2024;  doi: 10.21926/obm.icm.2401007

Self-compassion consists of an attitude of self-support and self-benevolence. In the general population, increased self-compassion has been associated with well-being and decreased psychopathology. In oncology, higher self-compassion has also been linked with various benefits, such as lower emotional distress, fatigue, body-image disturbances, and sleep difficulties. Self-compassion also seems to foster treatment adherence. Various interventions based on self-compassion have recently been designed and tested in dif [...]

by Satchit Anand Saha  , Katelyn Ann Williams  , George Murphy  and Sandeep Ajoy Saha

Received: 24 September 2023;  Published: 09 January 2024;  doi: 10.21926/obm.icm.2401006

Food insecurity and insufficient access to affordable nutrition have been associated with increased risk for the development of multiple chronic medical conditions, including cardiovascular disease. In this narrative review, we explore the association between food insecurity and the development of chronic medical conditions that confer increased cardiometabolic risk, cardiovascular disease, and mortality. We also identify the various barriers leading to food insecurity and lack of food literacy, with an emphasis on [...]

by OBM Integrative and Complementary Medicine Editorial Office

Received: 04 January 2024;  Published: 05 January 2024;  doi: 10.21926/obm.icm.2401005

Food insecurity and insufficient access to affordable nutrition have been associated with increased risk for the development of multiple chronic medical conditions, including cardiovascular disease. In this narrative review, we explore the association between food insecurity and the development of chronic medical conditions that confer increased cardiometabolic risk, cardiovascular disease, and mortality. We also identify the various barriers leading to food insecurity and lack of food literacy, with an emphasis on [...]

by Pamela Fox  , Gerald H. Burgess  and Chris Irons

Received: 18 February 2023;  Published: 05 January 2024;  doi: 10.21926/obm.icm.2401004

The aim of this study was to examine the relationships between self-compassion and possible predictors of depressed mood in parents of people with eating disorders. A questionnaire design was conducted cross‐sectionally in a sample of 112 parents of people with eating disorders. Participants completed measures of depressed mood, experiences of entrapment, shame, guilt, self-criticism and self-compassion. Regression analyses showed entrapment and self-criticism to be mediators between the relationship of shame and d [...]

by Gerhard Litscher

Received: 02 January 2024;  Published: 04 January 2024;  doi: 10.21926/obm.icm.2401003

Auricular medicine, an integral component of traditional medicine, has grown famous as a complementary and alternative Medicine (CAM) modality. Despite its widespread acceptance and anecdotal support, the scientific community grapples with multifaceted challenges that impede the establishment of a comprehensive empirical foundation for auricular medicine. This editorial critically assesses the current scientific landscape, delineating unresolved issues and scientific lacunae that demand rigorous investigation.